Gig Review: The Lumineers at 3Arena, Dublin

Once you’ve made your way down past the pulsing wave of people in 3Arena to the first few rows, you get a close-up look at the Lumineers’ hugely impressive white Emerald City stage, which flashes in time to the slow drums in ‘Ophelia’. The band surprise the crowd by pulling out their secret weapon ‘Ho Hey’ early on, instead of playing it during the encore as one might expect. Yet, even when the usual suspects pour out from both albums, the crowd still hang on every word during emotionally charged numbers like ‘Gun Song’.

Lead singer Wesley Schultz is top form throughout, encouraging everyone to live in the moment and creating a real sense of intimacy when he says, “I want to make this room feel small.” The band disappear and a bright piano begins ‘Classy Girls’ in the back of the arena – magically shrinking the space to the size of a living room. Lights glow like giant candlesticks around the stage. Elbows bump for the next three songs, as Neyla glides her bow over cinematic cello strings, and the barefoot pianist rocks back and forth at his ivory nest.

The material from Cleopatra is generally performed with more gusto than the tunes from The Lumineers. In particular, an extended ‘Long Way From Home’ really packs an emotional punch, with Wesley Schultz explaining that it was written about his father’s death. The storytelling continues with a cover of ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues,’ igniting the dance bug. Unafraid to experiment, the band tweak the lyrics for ‘Big Parade’ and, continuing the concert trend this year, toss in a triumphant nod to Hillary Clinton in the line, “A vote for her/the candidate.”

Overall, a triumphant evening for the Colorado folk singers.